Preview: Immanuel Christian Warriors vs. Community Christian Warriors
Immanuel Christian has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Community Christian Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Immanuel Christian's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last seven games.
Immanuel Christian stacked a 19th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They blew past Patterson Institute 67-35 at home. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 36-9.
Josiah Johnson was his usual excellent self, scoring 19 points along with six rebounds and three steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Carlos Acu?a was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds and six steals.
Meanwhile, things could have been worse for Community Christian, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 59-41 loss to Victory Christian Academy on Monday. It was the first time this season that Community Christian let down their fans at home.
Community Christian's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jonathan Blackburn, who scored 21 points along with nine rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Maness, who scored seven points.
Immanuel Christian's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-6. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.3 points per game. As for Community Christian, their defeat ended a 12-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 20-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Immanuel Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Community Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Immanuel Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Community Christian when the teams last played back in January of 2023, sneaking past 57-55. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Community Christian's Connor Ford, who dropped a double-double on 35 points and ten rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Immanuel Christian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
